Obsidian Strategic has a number of sites that are either draft allocated or have been submitted as part of the Guildford Borough Local Plan Proposed Submission which is currently subject to independent Examination.
As part of the on-going Examination the independent Inspector (Jonathan Bore) has already indicated that he considers that a lower annualised housing need figure (as sought by objectors) is unlikely to be supported as it would exacerbate the problems associated with housing affordability and not meet local needs. The Inspector is currently taking the view that a housing need of 630 dwelling per annum is a reasonable assumption.
The Inspector has also heard evidence regarding the amount of new housing that should be delivered during each year of the Plan period. Guildford Borough Council has proposed that housing delivery should be part of a ‘stepped trajectory’ with a smaller housing target in the first five years of the Plan period rising significantly towards the back-end of the Plan period. However, the Inspector has published his draft findings which cast significant doubt on the Borough Council’s proposed stepped approach to housing delivery. Furthermore, the Inspector has asked the Borough Council to consider increasing housing supply during the early years of the Plan period by, if necessary, identifying additional land and sites that are not reliant on the A3 improvement works and can be delivered early to meet the housing shortfall. Further items for consideration will include the Council’s approach to housing trajectory, its approach to development strategy and settlement hierarchy. The Examination is due to run until 5th July.